Robert Mondavi Vertical @ Fairmont Royal York. April 28
Robert Mondavi recently died, at age 94, and the winery has released an obituary of the great American winemaker.
Napa Valley pioneer Robert Mondavi struck out on his own after a breach with his family in the mid-1960s and was among the first people to start making "serious" wine in the then-sleepy backwater of Napa. His best wines are definitely worth waiting for.
Dedicated to the highest quality from the beginning, Mondavi followed European traditions of studying the land and winemaking techniques to get the best results - and creating wines of different levels of quality (i.e., keeping the best separate). Today, his wines come in three categories: Napa Valley Wines at entry level, $20 to $30, District Wines from specific vineyards at around $30 - $50, Reserve Wines from the best hand-sorted grapes at around $125 for the cabernet (US prices).
Mark De Vere, resident Master of Wine at Robert Mondavi winery, was in town to host a vertical tasting of cabernet reserves as part of the California Wine Fair.
Originally from Oxford, De Vere has been in Napa with Mondavi winery since the mid-90s and was a great guide to take us through the tasting. He gave background information on vintages, blends of other grapes (some include cab franc, for example) as well as a summary of different vintages.
De Vere spoke a little about rising percentages of alcohol in California's wines and, surprisingly, did not blame global warming. "We just don't know why," he concluded after pointing out that wines made after hot summers 20 or so years ago had lower alcohol levels than wines made in cooler summers recently. Because California's labelling laws require wineries to state which side of 14% their products are on, there is a lot of figure-fudging to keep it lower. Not naming any names, De Vere said he observed a lab test of eight wines to determine adherence: "two out of the eight wines were compliant on the alcohol labelling," he said. That said, De Vere feels higher alcohol wines can age well "if balanced properly." If a wine is not well balanced, the alcohol can become more noticeable over time, giving it a "hot" (as in "firewater") edge.
Rising alcohol levels are not just talk: note the steady climb in alcohol levels on Mondavi's finest: the same wine made from the same grapes from the same vineyards rises from 12.7 to 15% over a 17-year period. Very curious.
The Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1987
This was a highly rated vintage and it has stood the test of time. Dark ruby colour, with just a little bit of orange on the rim (an age-giveaway: the more orange/brown, the older), so it looks younger than it is. Rich and still-fruity nose, but with great secondary notes of herbal over jammy berry fruit, cassis. Very mouth filling, with lots of acidity. Not too fruity on the palate, which has nice cedar notes and a bit of iodine. The acidity is still very fresh and the overall feel is super smooth. The finish is excellent and lingers. A terrific wine. 94 points. (12.7% alc.)
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1993
Just a hint of orange on the rim of this one as well - is the fountain of youth in Napa? Mature nose of dried fruit, with a rich cooked quality (but in a good way). There's some bell pepper in there too, and it turns out this one has cab franc in the blend. Big fresh palate, with muted but ripe cherry fruit and great secondary notes of tobacco and cigar box. There are more tannic and darker notes in the middle, and a great finish, that lingers. 91 points. (13.8% alc.)
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1997
Rich red colour with another slight hint of orange. The nose had lots of dark red fruit with a slightly cooked note and was more muted than expected. Big and fresh surprise on the palate though - lots of big red fruit, including blackberries, again with a slightly stewed character, and yet a smooth, supple elegance. Gentle secondary notes like cigar box and cedar provide a great underpinning in both the middle and the lengthy, lingering finish. 93 points. (alc. n/a)
De Vere told us that the 97 was "highly rated when it first came out, but then it went through a dumb phase, but it's definitely come out of that now, and just recently too." Nothing dumb about it is far as I was concerned - though perhaps the fact that the nose was more muted than expected is a legacy of the "dumb" phase.
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2001
Deep ruby colour, no orange at all on the rim even though it's entering its seventh year... Rich fruity nose with some great secondary notes of pine and cedar. Very mouth-filling, with lots of dark red fruit, all fresh. Secondary notes include tobacco and a hint of mint. Even though it's a big New World cab with lots of fruit, the overall feel is relatively delicate. This one contains 10% cab franc, which I suspect is responsible for some of the secondary notes and the lighter than expected mid-palate. 92 points. (14.6% alc.)
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2004
Bright red ruby all the way through on the baby of the bunch. Big full nose of dark red fruit, and notes of cough candy and vanilla too. Super rich on the palate, which is packed full of red berry fruit. Not a huge amount of secondary notes, but that's probably due to the relative youth of this one. Tannins are high and acidity is about medium. Some other, darker flavours emerged and continued into the decent finish and included notes of tar. 91 points. (15% alc.)
Availability
Unfortunately, it's not that easy to get older vintages. But according to the LCBO website, there is a tiny amount of 1998 available: four bottles in Port Carling, two at Meadowvale Town Centre and one bottle at Rideau St. in Ottawa. Price: $167.60. The 2004 will be released later this year at a price TBD, but probably around $150. Contact agents Churchill Cellars for more information. Tel: 416-368-5108.
